


Holiday Retreat

by Aliemah



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Alternate Universe, Christmas, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Romance, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-29
Updated: 2017-11-07
Packaged: 2018-09-03 02:30:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8692909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aliemah/pseuds/Aliemah
Summary: AU in which young Kaidan and Shepard spend the holidays not at home with their loved ones, but at an Alliance “Holiday Retreat” with their families, along with hundreds of other families. What happened to those good old-fashioned values of spending time with loved ones?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a Christmas themed fic I've been working on for over a year now, and I'm so proud to finally have it finished in time for one of my favorite holidays. To save everyone from confusion, I’m putting the two of them around 16-17 years old. I haven't exactly decided, nor is it explicitly stated anywhere, for that reason. Additionally, this story will switch viewpoints between the two, to get the most out of this story. I hope you enjoy, and please feel free to leave comments!

** **

**Kaidan**

He wasn’t sure why his father had insisted they go to this so-called retreat the Alliance was hosting. Sure, it was out of the city, but it was practically their backyard. It wasn’t as much of a retreat as it was sitting on the other side of a fence. Kaidan just wasn’t impressed, and he’d have much rather spent the time at home with people he actually cared about, instead of trying to play meet and greet with Alliance officers, just because he and his father wanted him to sign up when he came of age. They all wanted to know what he wanted to do, and honestly Kaidan didn’t have a damn clue. He liked working with tech, but he knew that it could very well be like his phase with sneaking around and trying to hack into things. Besides, he wanted to do more than just help break into things or fix things - helping people was what he wanted to do. But, he wasn’t sure he could handle medicine.

Regardless, he was sitting in the hotel suite with his parents who were busy unpacking. A glance out the window told him that, yes, he was going to either sit in the room and browse the extranet all day, or he’d be trailing after his father trying to greet old friends.

“Kaidan, it won’t be so bad. There are other families here, maybe you’ll make some friends.” his mother offered as she pulled out a nice formal dress and hung it up in the closet.

He’d forgotten about that part. But he wasn’t sure how much he’d be able to relate to these other kids. They all seemed to fall into two categories: super intelligent and stuck-up or stupid and gun-obsessed.

“I think they’re holding a few events while the rest of us hold a few more official ones. You know, so they don’t get bored, and don’t get sucked into being bored.” his father chuckled, walking over and putting a hand on Kaidan’s broadening shoulders. “At least come down with us for a few minutes, Kaidan.”

“I’ll go.” he nodded, taking one last glance out the window as his father’s hand left his shoulder, before walking to the door that had another bedroom of sorts to unpack his own things.

They weren’t just here for Christmas. They were staying until after New Year’s. Which meant a whole month of living in this hotel room. At least he had space to call his own for that time. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to handle living in one room with his parents for that whole time, and hardly any chance of privacy.

The door silently shut behind him and he took in a deep breath, smelled the generic laundry soap from the bed, and the equally generic air freshener. Letting out the breath in a sigh, he flung himself face-first onto the bed to take a short nap before having to go be social. He would need the energy.

**Analya**

“Mom, this is so stupid. Why did you let me set up a tree if we aren’t even going to be home to enjoy it?!”

“Well, I didn’t know I was going to have to give a speech at a dinner here, Analya. I don’t want to be here either, but we have to stay.”

“Just until you’ve given the speech, then can we go home?”

She was looking for something, anything that would get her the quality time with her mother she so desired. As much as she loved her aunt, the woman just didn’t know what personal space meant. And right now, she was downright angry that she’d been stripped of any hope of having time with her mother while she was home. That’s all she ever asked for every year, and now she couldn’t even have that.

“We’ll see-”

“That means no.” she said, glaring at the ground and crossing her arms over her chest.

“I’m not the one paying for all this.” Hannah spoke softer, taking a step forward. Ana turned around, facing the window. “I just... We’ll make the most of our time here, okay? I promise we can still make breakfast together, Christmas morning. I’ll figure something out.”

“Just do me a favor and leave me alone until dinner.” she mumbled, digging through her bag for her earpiece, pulling up her omni-tool so she could temporarily drown in music. She could only hear the muffled response of her mother, not the actual words. She’d probably said something like ‘I love you’ which Ana already knew. And she did love her mother as well, but there were some times, more frequently as of late, where she wished that she wouldn’t say stupid things like that. They knew they loved each other, so why did they have to say it?

Either way, she was left alone, like she’d asked. It was all she wanted and she was glad her mother let her be, despite sharing a room in the overly-decorated and expensive hotel.

She missed the space station, but having real weather was a nice change. She’d been told that it might actually snow, and Ana hadn’t seen snow since she was young - probably three or four years old. That’s when her dad had been alive, and they could afford living groundside. Shaking her head, she got herself off that train of thought. Sure, she missed dad, but she was over it. There wasn’t anything she or anyone else could have done to save him from from his hemorrhage. Analya was just glad she’d been able to keep the good memories of her father alive through traditions - until now.

She didn’t doubt she could find some other kid to hang out with while her mom was busy. But this would be a friend she would likely never see again, so what was the point? ‘Hey, want to be friends for a month, then get back to our normal lives and act like we never met?’ Yeah. That was a great way of practicing her social skills.

Before she knew it, her mother gently tossed her boots onto the separate bed. Pulling out her ear-piece, she looked over.

“Time to go eat. Come on, I want to get the food while it’s still hot.” Hannah smiled, already putting her shoes on as well. Ana didn’t say anything but pulled her boots on over her socks, and stood up to follow her mother.

Since it was just the two of them, and they had a standard room, they were put on the third floor. It gave a decent view of the trees, and little of the city in the distance and below. She didn’t care too much about what was going on outside as much as she did about making sure her mom didn’t break her promise.

Dinner would be a fine start.

Arriving to the large ballroom, it seemed as though the whole hotel had been rented out for this event. There were Alliance uniforms everywhere, the room was filled with countless tables. To Ana, it honestly looked more like a reception, or dinner party than a simple dinner. Either way, she stuck closer to her mother, unsure of where they would go or sit.

“Food’s along the back wall. Looks like there’s a line.” Hannah sighed, looking sideways at Ana. “Why don’t we go find somewhere to sit for a few minutes, see if the line goes down?” she nodded, and they began to scout out a table.

“There’s a spot on the wall over here, mom.” Ana said, gently pulling her arm towards the empty table.

“It’s dark over here.” Hannah mumbled.

“That’s why no one saw it.” she smiled, already pulling out a chair. “Come on, we aren’t going to find another table so easy.”

“I guess you’re right. This will do.” Hannah pulled off her light jacket and draped it on the back of her chair before pulling it out to sit with another long sigh, both silently observing the room as it filled with even more people. After a few minutes, Hannah decided to go grab two plates, telling Analya to save their spot.

It wasn’t more than a minute later someone approached the table.

“Mind if my family joins you?”

Another teen, dragged against his will to this event. She smiled and shook her head.

“I don’t mind at all. I’m just here saving a seat for my mom.” she shrugged, trying not to stare too much. She couldn’t help that she recognized her type easily, and had little control over whether or not she would act on it. At least with her mother nearby she wouldn’t have to worry about doing something ‘ _idiotic_ ’ or ‘ _irresponsible_ ’. That was the whole reason she’d been forced to live with her aunt. But would she do those things again? Absolutely.

“My name’s Kaidan.”

“Analya.” she grinned, watching him sit across from her with a rather full plate. He turned to wave his parents over, and then glanced back at her for a split second before digging in to his plate. She brought her hand up to cover her mouth and laugh, successful in making it look like boredom as his parents approached.

“A little dark over here isn’t it?” the woman said, looking to Analya and smiling.

“It’s a place to sit.” Kaidan said after swallowing his food. “Besides, it’s only getting harder to find somewhere to sit with all these people.” His parents sat down and Ana glanced around for her mom.

“What’s your name?” the woman spoke up again after a moment, breaking Ana from her search. She gave her usual fake smile and cleared her throat in preparation to speak over the noise of the crowded room.

“Analya. My mom said she would be back in a few minutes, I’d rather let her introduce herself.” she said, tucking a strand of hair that had fallen behind her ear. She hated talking to people she didn’t know. Especially when she was expected to talk about herself.

“That’s an interesting name.”

“Mom came up with it. It’s.. Not an actual name, I don’t think. At least it’s not the last time I looked.” she glanced down for a moment. “She said it was inspired by some of the turian names she’d heard while she was touring the colonies. I don’t know the whole story but I know she loves telling it.” If they knew her well, they would have picked up on her sarcasm. She hated that her mom loved that story.

Though Kaidan seemed to pick up on it, and snorted, quickly covering it up with another mouthful of food.

When her mother arrived moments later, the conversation hardly changed topic. Though at least she didn’t have to speak so much now. She could continue quietly admiring the guy sitting across from her. _Kaidan._

They traded glances through their parents’ various stories, and it was a bit of a relief to have someone who seemed to get her. Analya could tell already that she was going to get into trouble with him, one way or another. He didn’t seem like he was really one to stray, though. Especially if his father’s gentle reminders to sit up straight were any indication.

Two hours was really pushing her patience though, and she stood up, empty plates and cups taken away some time ago.

“Mom, I think I’m going to head back to the room.” she said quietly, leaning down to whisper into her ear. Hannah nodded, and gave the hand on her shoulder a gentle pat, allowing Ana to slip away.

Once she was out of the room she sighed, and decided to wander down the hall to glance at the indoor pool. She had a feeling it would be empty, and one glance told her that, yes, her instinct had been correct. A dip in the hot tub would be like heaven right now, and with a grin, she headed back towards the elevators. Someone familiar was standing just outside, waiting as well.

“David?” she grinned even more, breaking into a sprint when the man turned, smiling as well. She threw her arms around him. “I haven’t seen you in forever! Where have you been? Have you gone anywhere exciting? Did you blow something up?”

“Slow down there, Ana.” he chuckled, returning the embrace and then stepping back. “You sound like you’re eight years old, again.”

“Hey!” she poked his arm, blushing a bit but still smiling. “Seriously, it’s been so long since I last saw you.”

“I’ve been on several assignments. You know how the Program is.” David sighed, looking more tired than usual. He was of course referring tot he N7 Program that she’d already heard so many stories about. She was determined to follow his path, seeing as he was the closest thing to a father she’d had for years, now. Her mother sure knew how to make friends.

They stepped into the elevator, and when she found out he was on the eighth floor, she was a little disappointed. He didn’t need a lot of space, and she knew the rooms higher up had more space available. But, maybe that meant she could spend time with him if her mom was busy. Maybe the trip wouldn’t be so awful, after all.

Then Kaidan stepped into the elevator, rubbing the back of his neck with nothing short of a bored face. He glanced up and smiled at the two in the elevator with him, settling against one wall when he saw his floor was already queued. The doors shut.

“So, Ana, where’s your mother at? Or did you get to come alone?”

“She’s talking with some other officers, I’m sure. I left because I got bored, and I’m a little tired of listening to her talk.” she shrugged. “I might go swim in the pool for a bit, since it’s actually empty. I don’t know.” she glanced over at Kaidan, making eye contact, and she smiled a bit before returning her gaze to the wall to her right.

“Well, you make sure you tell your mom to come talk to me, soon. We all need to catch up.”

“I’ll make sure to remind her.” she grinned, right as the door opened to her floor. “Take care!” Ana called out as she stepped off.

“You too.”


	2. Chapter 2

**  
Kaidan**

She’d laughed once the whole time they’d sat together. She had been polite and silent. A model of the kind of girl his parents wanted him to get married to. Only he wasn’t so sure that was entirely what he wanted for himself. But then she’d made that sarcastic comment about her mom telling the story of how she got her name, and that had been it for him.

Kaidan was going to make every effort, despite his pathetic skills, to get to know this Analya better and see if this sudden attraction would actually last, or turn into anything more. And he couldn’t get those damn words out of his head from when he’d looked over at her in the elevator.

“ _I might go swim in the pool for a bit, since it’s actually empty. I don’t know.”_

Was that an indirect invitation to join her?

That’s why he hadn’t gone in the suite yet.

Kaidan knew she was on the third floor, he could just go look for her, and ask. She’d walked to the left.

But that would be stupid. Kaidan wasn’t stupid.

If he wanted to go swim, no one could tell him he couldn’t. So what if they were the only two in there? Coincidences happen all the time, right?

He decided to at least go check it out. Discreetly. He’d change his clothes and go have a nice walk - he was going to be here for a month, might as well get to know his way around the place. That seemed like a good cover, he thought as he finally stepped into his “bedroom” and began messing with his belt.

He waited around for a good twenty minutes before he decided to casually stroll around down towards the pool. The sign on the door clearly said that it was closed, but through the window, he could see a head of dark flowing hair bobbing up and down in the water, then disappearing beneath the glassy surface. He sighed and slid his card through, hearing it beep with a green light, and then he pulled it open, slipping inside the humid and warm room. It felt good. There was another door he had to pass through, and luckily when he did, the head resurfaced, and turned towards him after the door audibly clicked shut.

“Didn’t think you’d catch the hint.” she smirked.

“I was questioning myself about whether I’d just imagined it or not.” he smiled, rubbing the back of his head as he looked down at her, focusing on her hazel eyes. “It’s Analya, right?”

“Yeah.” she was still smirking, though it had softened, and she was swimming towards the edge of the pool to rest her arms on the edge. “I’m pretty sure our parents are still talking. I poked my head in on my way, and it looked like they hadn’t moved.”

“I’m not really too worried about it.” he lied. His parents would probably get a little tense at best over his absence. But, if they found out he was still in the hotel, they’d probably be at ease. Either way... This wasn’t something he usually did - breaking rules, that is. Being caught after hours in a pool was one tiny thing, but he knew that one tiny thing led to a slightly bigger thing, and so on. Kaidan didn’t want to end up breaking all sorts of rules, so it would be just this once.

“You seem pretty tense there.” she chuckled, then motioning her head to her right. “Want to head to the hot tub and chat for a bit?”

“I don’t know, that cold water is looking pretty inviting right now.” he laughed, setting down his card and omni-tool on a table near her things. He saw her finally pull herself out of the water from the corner of his eye as he peeled off his shirt.

When he’d walked in, he could see that she’d had on a standard black top that tied at the back of her neck. But now he could see a hint of a matching bottom peeking over the edge of her tie-dye shorts. He didn’t understand why girls layered like that - he found out long ago that it was usually because they were uncomfortable, or trying to hide something. But so far as he could tell, she had nothing to be uncomfortable with, or hide. And as he followed her over, yes, he couldn’t help but actually _look_ at her body. It was slender, and for conventional standards there was much to be desired - but he didn’t have many conventional standards. Maybe it was because he knew the extremes to which people could go, despite how they looked.

He shook his head - Rahna wasn’t here, Analya was. They were different people, and... Maybe being from an Alliance family, she might understand biotics a little better. If she even found out.

They sat in the hot tub for a few minutes, enjoying the warmth and bubbles, before Kaidan looked over, and found her staring into the water, looking like she was thinking.

“Everything okay?” she shot her head up, blinking a few times.

“Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry. I’m just used to being alone, so I tend to think a lot.”

“What were you thinking about?” he asked.

“No offense to you, but I absolutely do not want to be here. This is the one time out of the year, every year, that I get my mom’s undivided attention, and it’s the only time we really ever get together. It means a lot to the both of us, and.... Now that’s taken away from me, so I get to spend the only part of the year I was looking forward to essentially alone.” she let out a heavy sigh, shoulders sinking beneath the water as she stared off for another moment, then glanced back up to him with a tiny smile. “You didn’t need to hear all that, I’m sorry.”

“No, I get it. Dad isn’t really all that active anymore, but I still don’t get to see him as often as I’d like.” he cleared his throat. “What about your dad, or..?”

“My dad passed away when I was eleven.” she nodded. “And before you offer your sympathies, it’s fine. He passed away in his sleep when he was at home. So. I have nothing to be mad about, it was just his time, I suppose I’ve made my peace with everything that happened.”

“That’s still unfortunate.” he said, glancing around. “You seem like you’ve adjusted well, so I won’t ask about it anymore.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I understand what it’s like to be grilled about something you’re not that interested in.”

“I would ask, but...” she laughed a bit, and Kaidan smiled.

“I uh... I’m a biotic. I went to a training camp of sorts, and it wasn’t the best experience for me.” he watched her reaction, to see if she might catch on. There were only two programs that were widely known in the Alliance, one of which had been kept under wraps from most people - spare for her mother, probably. She only nodded. “Maybe I could tell you more about it some other time... The details are pretty personal.”

“That’s fine. You tell me when you’re ready.” she smiled. “I’m just glad that someone else actually gets it, for once.”

They continued talking for some time, thought they decided to keep the subject away from family as much as possible. Kaidan found out she was an only child as well, and that she lived with her aunt on Arcturus for most of the year.

“Wait, so you’ve never actually had a white Christmas before?” he asked, very shocked. That’s all he’d grown up with, and when she shook her head with a shy smile, he couldn’t help but start going on and on about how great it was.

“Yeah, you talk about snow like it’s the god particle, but did you ever think that maybe I don’t like the cold?”

“How could I ever imagine that, I’m Canadian.” he laughed, shaking his head. “You’re in for something special, it always snows up here. My parents actually own a cabin on the lake about five miles out, we almost always spend our Christmases there.”

“That still doesn’t explain how snow is just _so_ great.” she smirked. Kaidan only now noticed that she was leaning forward, towards him. He sighed and glanced at the ceiling.

“It’s not something I can explain, it’s the experience that makes it great.”

“Freezing your ass off is fun?” she deadpanned, then snorted. He shook his head.

“It can be.” then he got an idea. “I can show you, but you’ll have to trust me.”

There was a moment’s hesitation and she glanced over him before nodding.

“I trust you.” she said quietly. He held his hand out for hers as he stood up, and once he had it, he pulled her up gently, enough that he could grab her, and throw her over his shoulder, making no rush of walking towards the pool.

“Don’t you dare!” she laughed, squirming in an unsuccessful attempt to be free of him. “I swear, if you drop me in that water, you’re going to pay for it!”

“Good thing I wasn’t planning on dropping you.” he smirked, dropping her back onto her feet, holding her against himself.

For a moment, he almost decided not to go along with his plan, just to hold her there a little longer. Her face was flushed from the warm water, her skin was soft and smooth against his hands, and she had a look on his face that he wouldn’t deny was absolutely stunning. This couldn’t actually be happening, there was no way he’d already fallen for some girl he barely knew. Well, alright, he knew her a bit, but not nearly to the degree that they could even consider themselves friends.

“Better take a deep breath.” he grinned.


	3. Chapter 3

****

**Analya**

She’d been convinced that she wouldn’t make any friends during her stay -especially not on the first day. Even more than that, she’d been denying thoughts of having a chance at finding anyone she was remotely interested in. Yet, here was Kaidan, winning her over each second with something or other, and he just kept hitting her with more and more that made it seem like anyone else before him was a joke to even consider. This couldn’t be real. This was straight out of a storybook, and that shit didn’t happen in real life.

“Better take a deep breath.” he’d said, and for a moment she was confused, dazed by her train of thought and the feeling of skin against her own. Then she found herself falling to her right, towards the pool, and she did take a breath before being pulled tighter against him, not hitting the water on her side, but rather face-first as he took the brunt of the fall on his back.

The sharp sting of the water was enough to send a shock through her system. After sitting in the hot tub for nearly an hour, the pool was like walking through a station without clothes - absolutely freezing.

Submerged and stuck in an equilibrium in the pool, she felt his hold loosen a bit, and she quickly brought her knees to her chest, lightly kicking herself off his chest and up to the surface, taking in another deep breath of air, after expelling it all on her way up. She turned to face him when he surfaced, laughing at her.

“That was a dick move!” she yelled, jumping on him to dunk him. He saw her coming, didn’t stop it, and took a breath moments before he went under. She held him there for a good thirty seconds before he started pushing at her to come up for air. She let him, not too keen on accidentally drowning someone in the presence of so many officers in the hotel.

He came up and smirked at her after shaking his head from the water, and wiping face.

“What the hell was that for?” she scowled.

“I told you, the experience. Or did you not get that same rush from the cold?”

“Wouldn’t call it a rush.” she mumbled, heading towards the deeper water, preferring treading to standing. He followed her.

“Hey, I’m sorry. I just wanted to have a little fun.”

“It’s fine.” she sighed. “It was... a little fun.”

“See?” he chuckled. “Just wait, in a few days, it’ll be snowing, and you’ll see what I mean.”

“You’re sure of this?”

“Absolutely. It never fails to snow in this area.”

She shook her head with a smile, and after a moment of silence, they found something else to talk about for a few minutes longer, until an employee came and told them they had to leave. Reluctantly, they grabbed their things, and hurried out with a couple of thin towels to try to dry themselves off with. Standing outside in the hall, realizing it was nearly midnight, they agreed to exchange numbers on their way back to their rooms.

She nearly kissed him before she left the elevator. But she decided against it, and felt that it was the best choice for now. For once, she’d like to get to know him a little before she even considered seeing what his limits were.

_Unknown number:_ _  
_ _Maybe next time we could try getting there before it closes. [12:02]_

Ana chuckled. So he liked following rules? This would be fun.

_Analya:_ _  
_ _It’s more fun my way. Besides, if you hadn’t dunked me in the water and made me start yelling, we could probably still be in there. [12:02]_

_Kaidan:_ _  
_ _I still think it was worth it. [12:04]_

She laughed and left it at that for the night, feeling exhausted and in need of a shower. She pulled out her card, put it in the door, and entered a lit room. Hannah was sitting on the edge of the bed, and she leaned forward a bit to see the door.

“Well there you are. I thought you said you were coming back to the room.”

“I did come back. And then I decided to check out the pool.” she shrugged, shutting the door.

“I thought the pool closed at 10.”

“We didn’t realize it until someone walked by and told us about ten minutes ago.” she shrugged, tossing her card and omni-tool on the end table between the beds, before turning around and heading to the bathroom.

“Who’s ‘we’?”

“Oh, that other kid we had dinner with... Guess he wanted to check out the pool too.” she shrugged.

“What was his name again?” Hannah asked as Ana went into the bathroom.

“Kaidan.” she said, pulling her shorts down as she turned on the water for a shower. It was just a quick rinse and warm up for her, and she walked out five minutes later in a towel, going to unzip her suitcase and pull on some pajamas.

“Your omni-tool has been lighting up. I thought you said all your friends were going to be busy for the next few weeks.”

“Yeah, they said they would be.” she frowned after she pulled a shirt on, going to pick it up.

Sure enough, her two closest friends were sending her plenty of messages, explaining their days at their respective vacation spots. One of them was with her girlfriend’s family for the holidays, and had sent pictures of paradise. Ana really liked how those two looked, and got along, so she didn’t care to see how perfect their lives were. It was hope that she could find that, someday, too. Her other friend was just as beat up that they couldn’t spend time with their family how they used to, but seemed to be having an okay time for now. Sending replies to both, she saw another three messages from Kaidan.

_Kaidan:_ _  
_ _Hope your mom wasn’t as freaked out as my parents were about being absent. Sorry if she was. [12:07 AM]_

_Looks like my parents will be busy tomorrow night with another thing I don’t want to go to. Want to hang out? [12:11 AM]_

_Or would you rather have time with your mom? [12:17 AM]_

Ana set her omni-tool aside for a moment, combing and drying her hair, then brushing her teeth and coming back to relax on the bed. Hannah looked as though she were almost ready for bed, herself. Except for the few data pads scattered on the bed.

“Mom, get some sleep, this is supposed to be a vacation.”

“I know, but they still have me working.” she sighed, rubbing her eyes. Ana smiled and sat on the edge of the bed, shutting on each data pad one by one, and setting them in the drawer of the end table.

“You can work on them tomorrow. It’s past midnight and we need to sleep.” she said before leaning over to hug her mom tightly.

“I doubt I’d ever sleep well when I’m home if it weren’t for you.” Hannah said softly, returning the hug tightly, both staying there for a few minutes before she kissed her daughter’s head. “Sleep well, Ana.”

“You too, mom.” she said, pulling the covers back, getting into the bed, and pulling them back up.

_Analya:_ _  
_ _We’ll see. I’ll let you know by lunch, if I don’t see you in person before then. Goodnight. [12:24]_

_Kaidan:_ _  
_ _Goodnight. [12:24]_

She hadn’t expected such an immediate response, but it left her with a grin, and a giddy feeling that somehow lulled her to sleep.

 

She woke up the following morning with a message from her mother, stating that she was, again, sorry, but she’d been dragged to a meeting at headquarters. She would be there for two days, but be back and free afterwards, until Christmas. She would try to call before going to bed. Love, mom.

Ana groaned in frustration, especially upon seeing all of her mother’s things gone. She threw the covers back, and went straight to take a real shower, unlike last night. Getting the chlorine out of her hair felt wonderful once she dried it, and her skin seemed more than delighted to be slathered in lotion to keep from drying out. Not to mention it left a subtle scent of pomegranate around her person, and she loved it so much better than the traditional scent of soap.

Now that she was clean, she could figure out what to do with her day, which was to say, nothing. Analya didn’t like going out alone, and as much as she would have loved to explore the town, she didn’t feel comfortable doing so alone.

Kaidan said he knew the area well, last night... But she doubted he’d want to go with her if he knew it so well, just so she could go with someone. Then again, he might like getting to show her around, she got that kind of vibe from him.

_Analya:_ _  
_ _Mom’s gone for the next few days for a meeting. Guess that means I’m free. And very bored. [8:42 AM]_

_Kaidan:_ _  
_ _That sucks. [8:42]_

Ana sighed, “great show of support,” she thought, unsure of how to respond.

_My parents wanted to go out for breakfast. I would invite you but we already left. Maybe we could meet up for lunch. [8:44 AM]_

_Analya:_ _  
_ _That sounds nice. I thought about going to explore the town, since I haven’t seen it yet, you wouldn’t be interested in tagging along, would you? [8:45 AM]_

_Kaidan:_ _  
_ _Why not? My parents will be busy trying to shop, or catch up with friends, anyway. We can meet in the lobby around noon. [8:48 AM]_

_Analya:_ _  
_ _Thanks for being available. Didn’t want to have to sit in my room all day. [8:50 AM]_

_Kaidan:_ _  
_ _It’s no problem. [9:00 AM]_

Now that she had something to do with her day, she could comfortably go get breakfast, and then sit in the room for a few hours and read, or call her friends if they were available. This was more like it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to give a quick shout out to all of you reading and leaving comments. It means a lot to me that this is being received so well, and I hope that you enjoy this next chapter!

****

**Kaidan**

After last night, Kaidan wanted to stay on good terms with his parents. They weren’t necessarily mad at him, but it had verged on mad with his father. At least for now, he would try to play it safe. So while they were out for breakfast, he casually brought up his conversation with his newest friend.

“My friend I was hanging out with said that her mom is going to be gone for a few days for a meeting,” he started, only to be cut off from his mom.

“She’s your friend now?” she smiled, getting Kaidan to sigh, smiling a little bit at the obvious bait.

“Yeah, mom. She’s never been here before, and she wanted to know if I’d go with her to just.. walk around town for a bit. I told her I would, is that alright with you guys?”

“Just let me know if you’re planning on staying out after 7, and try to be back before midnight.” his father shrugged. Kaidan looked to his mother who nodded, still grinning.

“I don’t see a problem with it. She seemed very nice, last night at dinner.” he couldn’t help but smirk at his mother’s words, bringing the food on his fork to his mouth, finally. The impression Kaidan had gotten was that Analya wasn’t really the type of girl she had let on during dinner. If the staying in the pool after it closed, was any indication, Kaidan was sure that she’d try to get him to break plenty more rules today. He wasn’t going to give in so easily, this time, they would be on his turf.

Almost literally.

When they finished breakfast, he and his mother headed back to the hotel, seeing as his father was going to go shooting with a few friends. If Kaidan hadn’t actually started to look forward to hanging out with Analya, he might have asked to tag along. And he was only looking forward to this to spend more time getting to know her. As much as he knew she didn’t like talking about it, he was interested to know about what she did when she was with her aunt, about her friends, school... the little mundane things.

While he spent the morning putting up with his mother’s remarks, trying to get some reaction out of him, he was also messing around with his omni-tool, trying to see if he couldn’t boost the performance for a game he frequently played. Unfortunately, it ended up crashing the whole thing, so now he had a real reason to go into town. Unfortunately that also meant he had no way of communicating with Analya until they met up.

“Just go ask the front desk for her room number.” his mother shrugged while she flipped through a magazine.

“Mom, that’s... A little creepy.”

“Well, it’s either that or you wait for her in the lobby. I’m not letting you use my omni-tool. Take your pick.”

Kaidan weighed his options. By now it was nearly noon, so he might as well go wait. With a heavy sigh he put his shoes back on, and grabbed his thicker jacket before heading down to the lobby, sitting in a chair as he waited. Kaidan continued to make futile attempts to fix his own omni-tool, but he lacked the proper tools and know-how about the system, at the moment.

“Stupid piece of shit.” he muttered quietly, giving up and slumping in the seat, looking up at the ceiling. “They’re just going to tell me to get a new one..” he continued, “It’s already two generations behind. But it still works just fine...”

“Everything okay?” a voice pulled him from his thoughts. He snapped his head towards it, and found himself standing up with a smile.

“Yeah, just... talking to myself. It doesn’t happen much.” He smiled, looking over her clothes and smirking. “You’re going to be cold wearing that outside...”

“Then I’ll just stop somewhere and get something else.” she shrugged in her hoodie. She was dressed very casual, and he motioned for them to head out. “I messaged you a few minutes ago, but you didn’t reply.”

“My omni-tool crashed and I can’t get it to start back up.” he laughed. “I was messing with it more than I should have.”

“What were you doing?”

“I was trying to improve the graphics for a game.”

“Nerd!” she nudged him, laughing loudly. He laughed with her and shook his head.

“I’m not going to deny that.” he paused. “Do you want to walk down, or take a cab?”

“Probably a cab since it is a little colder than I expected.” He nodded, and hit up the station to call one to them. “How long?”

“Just a couple of minutes.” he turned back to her, and looked around. There was snow everywhere, and while he was used to it, he could tell that Analya was amazed at the quantity of it, and how it seemed to get everywhere. In contrast with the snow, her eyes seemed to shine and her hair was... gorgeous. He’d never seen hair that dark of a brown color. At first glance it looked black, but he could see the brown coming through clearly right now. No matter what Kaidan was telling himself, he couldn’t stop looking at her. Not even when she looked over and caught him staring. Though she hardly looked like she cared, judging by the slight curl of the corners of her lips.

They both got into the cab when it arrived, forcing Kaidan to take his gaze off her face for a moment. It was enough to get him to tell himself that he shouldn’t keep starting like that.

“So, how was breakfast with your parents?” she asked.

“It was fine.” he smiled. “They kept asking about you.”

“Uh oh.” she grinned.

“What?”

“How much did they tease you about being out so late?”

“Dad, not so much. Mom...” he grinned and sighed heavily, his smile growing when she nudged him. He hoped he didn’t have to say any more than that.

“Well, if it makes you feel better, I’m sure my mom would have reacted the same way if she hadn’t been so busy.”

The tone of her voice dropped a bit and Kaidan couldn’t help but feel sorry for her, having a parent - the only parent - be unavailable for the majority of the time. As much as he wanted to comfort her, he didn’t exactly know how to go about doing so.

“So you mentioned that you were living with your aunt, before. Is she not here?” he asked, hoping that he might not upset her. He got a heavy sigh as she looked up.

“No, my mom doesn’t really get along with her.”

“Why are you living with her then?” he laughed.

“Long story.”

“I have the whole rest of this trip.” he grinned, leaning towards her a bit. She looked over at him form the corner of her eye, smirking, and then she nudged him as she grinned.

“Sorry, but that’s just something I don’t feel comfortable sharing right now. Besides,” she paused and looked over him, “I’m still curious to know why you aren’t at home if you live so close.”

“Dad can’t turn down free accommodations and my mom’s always been big on trips that force us all into the same space.” he shrugged. “I really wish I could be there, though. It’s nice and quiet there.”

“Not much of a city person?”

“I enjoy it, just not for extended periods of time.”

She nodded with a gentle hum and grew quiet as she looked out the window as they neared the center of town. Again, he was struck by her features, noticing the slight upward curve of the tip of her nose, and the way her considerably full lips naturally curved down at the ends in a rather serious face. The contrast of her paler skin to her dark hair was stunning, and her eyes only intensified that contrast. She looked porcelain and delicate.

When the cab let them out, Kaidan handed a few spare credit chits to the driver, the payment having gone through when he called the cab. Ana shoved her hands in her pockets and Kaidan laughed once more at her before nudging her towards the shop so he could get his omni-tool fixed.

**Analya**

She knew he’d been staring at her during their cab ride. As soon as they started heading in the direction of the shop to fix his omni-tool, she had to speak up.

“Thanks for hanging out with me.” her voice was quiet, much to her own surprise, “I’m probably not a lot of fun-”

“I’d rather risk spending an awkward day out than sit inside with my mom, to be honest.”

“That’s reassuring.” she snorted as she rolled her eyes, taking in a sharp breath when a small breeze came through. She hadn’t realized how cold it would be, and it was currently below freezing. Kaidan was dressed rather simple, but she had a feeling that his clothes were thicker than they looked. She certainly didn’t remember his shoulders being _that_ broad.

“Maybe after we hit up this shop we can go see if we can’t find you a better coat.” he smiled. She noticed a small twitch in his right arm - the one closest to her.

“I think that might be a good idea.” she nodded with a small laugh.

Once they got to their destination, somehow Ana wasn’t surprised to see him hold the door open for her. She grinned, and walked with him to the IT desk, not paying much attention to what he was saying, focusing in on the sound of his voice. It was definitely deep, but it wasn’t overbearing or threatening. It was softer. She realized she’d been zoning out, and she thought she swallowed a little too loud when she looked back up and saw him smiling at her.

“What?” she tried to push back the heat she felt rising on her cheeks, smiling a little.

“Hm? Oh, I was just... Um...” he laughed and looked down, his own cheeks flushing, “You have a nice nose.”

She felt her smile grow as she gave him a rather unimpressed look. Though, she was flattered. She laughed lightly and shook her head, averting her gaze anywhere but towards him.

“Thanks. Your flirting sucks.”

“Well I don’t get a lot of practice.” he mumbled, rubbing at the back of his neck when she glanced over. When she didn’t reply, it was his turn to ask why she was looking at him like she was - skeptical smile with her mouth slightly agape.

“You’re kidding me.” she deadpanned.

“About what?”

“You don’t get the chance to flirt? At all?” she snorted. “If you were on Arcturus, you’d have to fight to keep everyone off you.”

“That so?” he smiled, leaning against the counter a bit, now. She nodded with a small hum of affirmation. “Have a lot of experience with that?”

“I don’t really, no- ohh.. That was smooth, Kaidan.”

“Why thank you, I try.” he smirked, both still a little red in the face, but clearly getting over it quickly. They hadn’t realized they’d stepped closer until the man at the desk came back, both of them taking half a step away.

“Here you go. I fixed that problem you mentioned, by the way. Shouldn’t have any troubles.” He smiled, looking between the two.

“Thanks. What do I owe you?” Kaidan smiled, taking the omni-tool and immediately turning it on.

“Nothing. This was a minor issue, I see it all the time.”

“Well thank you.” Kaidan nodded, both of them promptly turning to head back outside. Ana crossed her arms over her chest and smiled up at him.

“So, Kaidan, where can I get a decent coat around here?”

“Do you want one to just keep you warm or do you want to pay a little more and get something that looks good, too?” he smiled, motioning for them to walk in a general direction of where more stores were.

“If I’m going to be buying something, it’d better look damn good on me.” she laughed, enjoying the sight of her breath coming from her mouth.

Maybe he was right about the cold, and the snow. There was something magical about it all and she couldn’t help but look around and appreciate how clean everything looked coated in snow. Ana brushed back a few strands of hair, reminding herself she might be in need of another haircut soon. She let Kaidan guide her down the various walkways between the rows of shops that lined the street, until they reached a plaza that was more than a little busy, and filled with plenty of Alliance blue.

“Wow.” she murmured as they headed towards the crowd.

“Oh, I forgot they have the tree lighting ceremony tomorrow.” Kaidan said with a smile, glancing down at her. “They’re probably putting up the tree today to decorate it. They always try to do the lighting ceremony right after it gets put up.”

“Sounds like a lot of people would be there. And it’d be at night when it’s even more cold.”

“I don’t know, it’s pretty fun with the right people.” he shrugged. She glanced up and saw a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

“Well, you’re probably not the right person to be going with anyway.” she said, making a point of nudging him with her elbow.

“You’re right.” he sighed, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I’d probably just bore you with little facts about everything that goes on around here. Like the fact that the day after the ceremony, most of the stores have massive sales.” he glanced down from the corner of his eyes and she laughed.

“Well if you really need someone to tell these things to, I guess I can make room for it.”

“Great. I’ll drag you from your room at 7 AM tomorrow so we can make a day out of it.”

“Another day out?” she said, proceeding to make a gagging sound. “I think I’d rather sit inside and read.”

“I’m always up for that, too.” he shrugged.

She smiled, and he led her into one of the stores, swearing he wouldn’t get bored and walk out, and that he’d help her find something that looked nice. For a while, there didn’t seem to be anything as they searched around for a suitable coat, and they headed to another store, with no luck there either. After three more stores, Analya was ready to quit until Kaidan pointed out a maroon peacoat. It was on a clearance rack no less. With a heavy sigh, knowing she would need a jacket for tomorrow night, she went over to look over it. She smiled and laughed when it was not only the size she was looking for, but after sliding it on it was a perfect fit. She’d be able to wear it for years to come, easily. It was almost like it had been waiting for her to pick it up.

After paying for the jacket, Ana slipped it on over her hoodie, and let Kaidan carefully pull the tag off before the headed outside. She sighed happily when she didn’t feel the sting of the cold anywhere but her face.

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. You look good in red.” he added the second part on, almost as an afterthought. She blushed and kept her head down for a moment.

“So what do we do now?”

“Anything else you want to look at?” he shrugged. “If not, I’m game for heading back to the hotel and hanging out. If you want.”

“We could see if the pool is empty.” she grinned, always preferring the heat to cold. Plus, it was another chance to get a good look at him, now that she was sure she wanted to spend more time with him. She’d have to be careful when her mom came back, or she’d be in a whole different world of trouble, after being sent to live with her aunt already.

“Sounds like a plan.”


	5. Chapter 5

****

**Analya**

After the walk back to the cab station, and the ride to the hotel, and  _ then _ the ride in the elevator, Analya was glad to have a couple minutes for herself. She entered the room, almost calling out to greet her mom before remembering she wasn't there. With a soft sigh, the door shut behind her and she shrugged off the coat, carefully hanging it on the back of the desk chair.

She sat on the bed for a moment, looking at the coat with a faint smile. They'd had a nice afternoon out, and even now she blushed a bit when she thought of the tiny compliment he'd given her.

_ “You look good in red.” _

Ana shook her head with a heavy sigh. She didn't want to start falling for some guy who lived light years away from her. She didn't want to start falling for some guy that she didn't even know if she'd have a chance of seeing again. It hadn't even been two days that she'd been here and she was already aware of the fluttering in her stomach when she thought of him – the nervousness she felt in thinking about spending more time with him tomorrow, likely with his parents, too. Analya wasn't ready for another let down when she had to go home.

“He's not serious about this, he probably doesn't even like you that way.” she mumbled, grabbing her swim suit as she went into the bathroom, shivering when she felt it was still a bit damp from the night before. She huffed when her shorts were still dripping, considering putting them on before deciding it wasn't worth it. Walking out, she grabbed a longer shirt that had one of her favorite movie characters on it, and then made sure that her keys and omni-tool were in hand before she headed out towards the pool, smirking when she saw Kaidan in the elevator, though not saying anything, due to the three officers all chatting with one another in the other corner.

As soon as the elevator was emptied she turned to him.

“I really hope the pool is empty. I think I've had enough of crowds of people for today.”

“Me too.” he nodded.

He was dressed similarly to her, with a plain black shirt pulled over his chest and the same swim shorts he'd worn last night pulled on. She grinned when she saw the design on his shirt was from a game, though she looked away before he could make any sort of comment on what she was currently doing.

Once they were outside the pool room, they both grinned upon seeing it was empty. It seemed that everyone here wasn't too excited about swimming indoors. More room for them. She set her things down beside his and peeled off her shirt before laughing, and jumping into the pool, not caring that there was a sign clearly telling her not to. It was deep enough that she was suspended in equilibrium for just a moment, before she pushed herself up to the surface.

She looked around and saw that Kaidan was nowhere to be found, and she figured he'd probably jumped in while she'd been underwater. Wading over towards the edge, she sighed and rested her cheek on the tile, closing her eyes and enjoying the weightlessness of her body. That is until she heard water lapping behind her and moving as well. Grinning, she didn't bother to turn.

“What now?”

“I don't know. This wasn't a great idea, there's not much we can do.” she shrugged. “I just… like the weightlessness of being in the pool, I guess.”

“Nothing wrong with that.” there was a silence as he pulled himself up beside her. It was surprisingly comfortable to her to just sit there like that and enjoy his presence. Though in the back of her mind, she was screaming at herself to stop this and just go back to her room. She didn't need anymore reason to fall for him, or seek him out further. Her mom and aunt wouldn't be too happy with her if she ended up breaking her stupid promise to them.

**Kaidan**

“Hi, Kaidan. You're back early.” his mom called out.

“Yeah, we ran out of ideas for what to do.” he hesitated a moment as he took his jacket off and headed towards his smaller room, “She wanted to hang out by the pool again, so-”

“Honey… I don't want you to get hurt.” she said softly as she cut him off. What she said gave him pause, and as he turned, he saw her sheepish smile. “You're spending an awful lot of time with her, and you just met her. Don't think I haven't seen this before with you.”

“I'm over Rhana. Clearly it wouldn't have worked out anyway if she.. turned her back on me so quickly.”

“You were quick to turn your back on her, too, if I recall.” she warned, “Just. Try to remember we aren't here forever, and that she won't be either.”

Kaidan scowled. He knew already he liked her, and he was okay with that. Was he not allowed to like other people? So soon after his incident at BAaT with Rhana? Kaidan liked to think he was old enough to know when he felt ready to move on.

“It's like you don't want me to be happy, or something.” he mumbled as he moved to his room, throwing his coat down hard on the bed as he searched for his wet swim shorts, shutting the door so he could change, leaving almost as soon as his shirt was over his head.

“Do you know when you'll be back for dinn-”

The door slammed shut before he could hear the rest of the question, and he was heading down the hall. His omni-tool lit up as soon as he was in the elevator. A message from his mother, repeating her question and telling him she hadn't meant to upset him. He knew that, but sometimes it felt good to over react just a little. It was a trivial thing to be upset about, anyway – Kaidan knew his mom was just looking out for him.

And now, he was sitting in the pool, trying not to think about how his stomach was starting to growl at the mention of dinner. He and Ana had effectively skipped lunch, which was a huge mistake for him. He wanted food, but they'd just gotten here, and he wanted to spend more time with him.

“Do you wanna just go watch a vid or something?” he asked, quiet even though they were the only ones in the large room. “I figure there has to be something more entertaining than sitting here in silence.”

“Am I that boring?”

“Not at all.” he smiled, “I just think we might have a little more fun actually having something to do. Besides, I'm a little hungry.”

“Ulterior motives.” she shook her head with a sigh and grin, pushing herself up. “Why not? I don't get to see many vids these days.”

He couldn't help but watch her, somehow missing that she'd forgotten the shorts earlier, and now seeing the black bottom to her two piece. He quickly averted his gaze, though the sight of the fabric clinging to her skin wouldn't be forgotten any time soon. Thank god he had a wall to separate him from his parents at night – and a door. Kaidan pushed himself up and out of the pool too, grabbing the towel she threw at him and drying off his head and chest before throwing his shirt on and trying to ring out his shorts a bit. They started walking before she gave slight pause.

“Oh, um. Where… did we want to do this?” she asked, pushing the button for the elevator. He threw his hand up, scratching his head a bit. A small part of him was laughing at her phrasing, but he managed to ignore it for now.

“I don't want to imply anything, but your mom isn't around right now, is she?” he asked, seeing the smile on her face grow as she shook her head. “If you're okay with it, we could make it work.”

“Sure.” she smirked. “Did you want to change out of those, first?”

“I think I can manage for right now.”

He didn't want to head back to the room so soon after slamming the door like that. Remembering his mother's message, he replied, telling her and his father to eat without him – he'd find something on his own. Not to mention, she would likely tell him if she and his father were heading out, so he could sneak back to the room to change then.

“Alright well don't complain to me if you get cold later.” she said once the elevator opened, hitting the button for the third floor before she spared him another glance.

He held her gaze and smiled a bit as he leaned back against the wall of the elevator. It didn't take long for the elevator to announce their arrival to the third floor. Analya was forced to pull her gaze from his, looking down at the floor as she stepped out, and then looking up as she headed towards the door to her room. Kaidan glanced around some at the other room numbers, until she paused outside one door to slide the card through the reader, pushing the door open once it unlocked. He made a mental note of the number on the door – 307. He'd remember it, having a feeling that he'd be back here several more times during this trip.

When he stepped in, Kaidan was suddenly feeling incredibly claustrophobic. The room was so small compared to his, and he suddenly felt terrible about staying there while she was here. It hardly felt fair to him, but when he saw down, he realized she probably didn't care if her mother was here. She'd said she looked forward to it every year – spending time with her mother – and right now she was being robbed of precious time because the Alliance decided she had to be elsewhere. Analya deserved better, he thought as he watched her shuffle around some clothes in her bag before she headed silently to the bathroom.

“I'll just be a minute.” she smiled as she passed him.

He pulled up his omni-tool, not surprised to see that his mother had left yet another message. She and her father were already leaving for dinner with friends – that meant they'd be gone for a couple hours, easily. He smiled and stood up, going closer to the bathroom door to let her know he'd be heading up to change into some actual clothes that weren't wet. Though he realized she hadn't shut the door all the way, and he saw much more skin than he'd expected – at the same time, what else had he been expecting to see? Regardless, as hard as he tried to look away, he only managed to do so when his omni-tool lit up yet again. Kaidan cleared his throat.

“I changed my mind, I'm going to head up to my room and get some dry clothes.”

“Would you rather just hang out up there?” she asked. He could see she'd paused her motions to wait for a response, one leg in her pair of dark gray sweats. It took him a moment to process her question, distracted by the contrasting color of her underwear to her skin.

“Why not? My parents just headed out to dinner with some friends, so they'll be gone for a bit.”

“Still not trying to imply anything?” she teased, putting the other leg in the sweats before pulling them up and snapping them to her waist, just below the band of her underwear. He turned his whole body when he noticed her reach up to pull her top off. He'd already looked more than he should have, he wasn't going to completely invade her privacy. He had a feeling she'd known he was looking, anyway. Or maybe that's why she'd left the door open? He shook his head with a sigh.

“I'm not going to force you to come with me, but I do have a few movies with me that we could watch on the vid screen.” Kaidan said as he leaned against the wall, waiting for her. The door opened not a moment later, and she stepped out, pulling a loose t-shirt just over her chest, stomach still exposed until the shirt fell down. Though he managed to look her in the eye, glad to see her smiling.

“Well let's find something to eat and watch a movie.” she walked over to grab a pair of socks, pulling them on quickly and practically springing off the bed to grab her things yet again, ushering him out in excitement so they could head up to the eighth floor.

Once they got there, the time seemed to pass in a blur once he'd pulled on a dry pair of lounge pants, almost deciding not to put on a shirt before thinking that might be a little too much right now. And as they sat in his little escape from his parents, they hardly paid attention to the time, or the fact that his parents had come back well into their second movie. 

That movie in particular had finished before long, and they were lounged across the bed. He didn't mind that Analya had put her head on his shoulder at some point, or that she was turned in towards him. Kaidan hadn't even noticed he'd let his arm slide around her and that his hand was toying with the hem of her shirt until she moved and the fabric pulled. He supposed it was because that was the only way they'd have been able to lay comfortably like that for so long. But it felt surprisingly pleasant to be holding someone else in his arm in such a relaxed fashion.

When she stretched, Kaidan let his hand fall flat against her side, and the small noise she made as she did so didn't escape his ears. Yet another thing he would more than likely be remembering later after she left and he was alone. It was a wonder he hadn't had any sort of noticeable physical reaction to her, yet. Because of course, she was beautiful in his eyes, and he would gladly put himself out there to get to know her better, but it seemed like right now he was simply content to be with her without any pressure of… Well anything from a typical relationship.

“I should probably get back to my room.” she chuckled after she stifled a yawn. The hand that had covered her mouth was not resting on his chest and it was practically burning a hole in his shirt with the warmth it filled him with.

“Probably.” he nodded, looking over at the clock and seeing it was nearly one in the morning. Without thinking he spoke again, “You know, if you wanted you could-”

He was cut off by a light rap on the door before it opened slowly, his father peering in and clearly not expecting his son to have company, much less for his company to be laying next to him on the bed, with dimmed lights.

“Oh, good. You are back.” he said quietly, before promptly shutting the door.

Kaidan resisted the urge to groan, though he brought his hand up to his face, listening to Analya giggle quietly as she moved to sit up. These things always happened to him, and for that, he blamed his parents for the reason he hadn't ever really had a relationship with anyone that lasted more than a couple months. He was just praying that Analya wouldn't get scared off by it, though judging by her laughter, she didn't seem bothered.

“Now I really think I should go. I don't want to get you into anymore trouble.” she rolled to the side of the bed and stood up, bringing her arms above her head. Then she turned half way, “What were you going to say though?”

“Nothing.” he mumbled as he shook his head and sat up, walking with her and quietly unlatching the door to the side room they were in. A rush of cold air came in, and they both shivered as they headed to the door. He was behind Analya, and when he walked past the chair his father was sitting in, he felt his wrist getting grabbed, and pulled down.

“You're walking her to her room, right?” he asked, tone low, slightly threatening, but also soft. It was a tone only a father could carry. He was also getting glared at from above a pair of silver lined glasses sitting on the bridge of his father's nose.

“Yeah.” Kaidan said, gently ripping his wrist from his father's hand. “Mind if I leave the door unlocked?”

“Not at all.” his father said, easily going back to reading whatever he had in his hands. Kaidan could tell he was just waiting for him to get back to talk to him about likely his earlier behavior towards his mother, but also for what had just happened. He wasn't looking forward to it.

“Come on.” Kaidan muttered once he reached Analya, standing patiently outside the door. He almost put his arm around her, but he made himself stop, not wanting to make things any more awkward. Though the silence between them was providing that feeling more than enough.

They finally reached her room when he stopped short, watching her play with the card a bit before sliding it through the lock, opening the door and then glancing up at him. She was biting her lower lip a bit with a smile, gaze turned down.

“Thanks for… Hanging out with me today. And letting me watch those movies with you. It was really nice.” her voice was very soft, suddenly, and it caused him to feel those butterflies in his stomach again as he realized why she might be stalling getting to her bed. He couldn't help but grin at her, rocking on his feet a bit.

“Well, you're always welcome to hang out with me. I don't exactly have a busy schedule, you know.”

The lilted laugh she gave made him smile even more, and he forced himself to take just a step closer, ignoring every instinct that maybe he was acting too soon. Bending over a full head to place his lips on her cheek, Kaidan became even more aware that while they hardly knew each other, he knew it's what he wanted to do, and likely what she'd wanted as well. He stood up straight again.

“Goodnight.” he smiled, as he took a step back, smirking at her sudden pleasantly shocked expression. She only waved to him before stepping inside and quickly closing the door. He turned around and quietly laughed at himself a bit as he headed back up to his room, forgetting completely about his father waiting for him.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year everyone! Let's hope I can actually get this fic finished and wrapped up before this year ends! Reviews are appreciated and I hope you enjoy!

****

**Kaidan**

He opened the door and his mood sank dramatically as he saw his father standing over by the balcony, holding a glass of something in his hand while his arms folded across his chest. The room was dark, so the only light that came was from the window where he was standing. Kaidan quietly shut the door behind him, locked it, and went to stand beside his father, knowing there wasn't any way he was getting out of this talk. It was better to just get it over with.

“I'm not happy with what I heard from your mother about what happened earlier.” he said quietly, voice clearly disappointed, tired, but not scolding.

“I know, I didn't mean to snap at her like that. If I'd known you had come back earlier, I would have apologized, and I don't want to wake her up to do it.” Kaidan sighed, running his hand over his face. He was tired, too, and he just wanted to go to bed so that tomorrow would come faster. From the corner of his eye, he saw his father nod, then take a sip of his drink. They both stared out the window and watched as the snow fell over the trees, and the now empty street. Somewhere in the foggy distance was the ocean, and Kaidan would have loved to see the beach right now. Something about the way the snow and sand mixed together was amazing to him. Just then he felt himself smiling, just imagining what Analya's reaction would be to such a sight.

“I'm also sorry about earlier.” his father finally said, looking down for a moment, then smirking and turning his gaze to Kaidan, “I didn't expect you to have company.”

“Yeah, I...” Kaidan felt himself blush, though he was still grinning as he rubbed the back of his neck, “I don't know. I wasn't really expecting to either.”

“Well, she seemed nice enough, the other night. And you have a good head on your shoulders.” his father turned to set his empty glass down on the counter, patting Kaidan's shoulder. “Get some sleep. Your mother wants us to go out and visit the cabin, and maybe stay there for a few days.”

His heart began thudding uncomfortably loud in his ears. He didn't want to be away for a few days, Analya was going to be alone if they left tomorrow, and he'd promised her he'd take her to the tree lighting.

“The tree lighting is tomorrow. Couldn't we at least stay for that?” Kaidan asked quietly. It was a family tradition, after all. His father paused, and turned slightly with a smile.

“We're not about to miss the tree lighting. Besides, I figured your new friend might be interested in tagging along, since her mother is out of town.”

How the hell did he know that?

**Analya**

She shut the door quickly behind herself, grinning and aware that her face was burning up. She finally let out a small giggle and bounded over to the bed jumping up on it with a laugh as she bounced a bit before settling in on the bed. Immediately, she opened up her omni-tool, and sent out a message to her friends, letting them know about her day since she'd been gone for most of it. Needless to say, two of them were awake and kept her up well past three in the morning. But she didn't mind. In those few hours she'd talked about Kaidan, and even more about how he looked, she'd snuggled into a little nest of pillows, and when she finally found the will to sleep. She no doubt missed her friends, but there was a comfort in still being able to talk to them about this exciting development in her otherwise horrible vacation.

It didn't last long, however, because just a couple of hours later, or at least what felt like a couple of hours later, there was a knock on the door that startled her. Looking at the time, she saw it was nearly eleven in the morning, and she quickly got out of bed, pulling her hair up so that it wouldn't be an untamed mess. She saw who it was, and was confused, opening the door slowly so that she wouldn't be totally blinded by the light.

“Kaidan?”

“Hey. I tried messaging you, but you didn't answer.” he paused as he looked over her, smiling. “I guess you were sleeping, huh?”

“Yeah.” she rubbed at her eyes. “What's up?”

“Nothing, I just wanted to know if you felt like getting lunch. It was going to be breakfast but that's passed.”

“If it doesn't freak you out too much, you can sit in here and wait while I shower.” she shrugged, smiling. “I'm actually really hungry, now that I think about it.”

“Now you know how I feel all the time.” Kaidan grinned as he stepped into the room. 

She gave a small laugh and shut the door, going over to her bag to grab some clothes, and her hair brush before locking herself in the bathroom. She'd have to make it a quick shower. Just as she turned on the water, she noticed something slide under the door awkwardly. She immediately blushed and covered her face, laughing a little at herself.

“Thought you might want to have that.” Kaidan laughed through the door before he likely walked away.

“Thanks.” she called out as she bent down to snatch up the bra she hadn't realized she'd dropped on the floor. At least it had been one of her plain colored ones, and not the printed one she'd brought.

She quickly discarded her clothes into a neat pile on the floor before she stepped into the shower and began washing herself and her hair. Analya didn't let herself zone out too much, but she couldn't help but think about how nice last night had been. She'd stayed up much too late talking about him with her friends, and they all seemed excited that she would maybe get to know someone who seemed to be just what she needed.

After more than a couple years of considerably reckless behavior, she wasn't even sure what it was she wanted anymore. When she was ten, she would have told anyone she wanted to be just like her mother, and help save the galaxy. Now, she wasn't too enticed by the idea, but it was still a very real option. No, right now she was thinking of her personal life, the life that no one had any control over. Maybe all she'd been wanting was someone who actually seemed to want to spend time getting to know her before jumping into anything. She knew the reason she'd acted the way she had was because she figured her chances at finding someone that made her happy would go up if she actually put herself out there. Though, since staying with her aunt, all she'd been allowed to do was go to school, and she could only have friends over if she checked with her aunt before hand. That didn't get her many friends.

Once she managed to dry herself off after she'd finished her shower, she quickly pulled her clothes on, and dried her hair as much as she could before brushing through it, deciding to pull it up and away from her face. She opened the bathroom door and threw her dirty clothes back into her bag, before she searched for her boots and pulled them on. Only when she found them did she manage to glance over at Kaidan without blushing. The fact that she knew he knew what she was wearing underneath her clothes was more than a little exciting for her. But she wouldn't let herself screw this one up.

“So where's lunch going to be?” she asked, aware he might not have noticed her come out of the bathroom at all, given how he was looking at his newly-fixed omni-tool. His head snapped up though, and the thing shimmered away.

“I'm actually not sure.” he said, giving her a sheepish grin. “My parents said I should invite you along with us.” 

There was another pause, and she thought she saw him take in another breath to say something else, but she was distracted by her own omni-tool lighting up with a call from her mother. She glanced up with a hopeful smile.

“I'll wait in the hall for you.” he said, standing up and grabbing the jacket he'd since taken off as he headed out.

Analya quickly accepted the call, throwing her earpiece in.

“Hi mom.”

“Hi, sweetheart. Has everything been okay?”

“I wasn't too happy to wake up with you gone, but… It's only a few days.” she sighed, unable to help herself from glancing at the empty bed where Kaidan had previously been sitting. “How are you, though?”

“I'm doing fine.” Hannah gave out a small laugh, “Or as fine as I can be sitting through these things. Anyway, I just wanted to call and let you know that we should be wrapping up in a few hours, so I'll be home in time for us to have dinner.”

“Really?”

“Mhm. I'll let you know as soon as I'm on my way back.”

“Alright.” She paused, just long enough to hear her mother say goodbye, “Wait, mom-” the call ended, and she waited a couple seconds for another call, or a message. She got nothing. She sighed heavily, and stood up, grabbing her jacket and card as she headed out to the hall.

There must have been something about her in that moment, because Kaidan's face fell, and he stepped a little closer as she shut the door and shrugged her coat on. He didn't say anything for a moment, not until they'd stated walking down the hall.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yes and no.” she huffed. “Mom's going to be back tonight, but… We kind of already made plans for tonight and I'd feel bad-”

“Your mom can come along, too.” he shrugged. “I'm sure she'd like to do something fun after her day.”

She thought about it for a moment. It wasn't a bad idea, but she liked the idea of being alone with him just a little more. But how often did she get to see her mother in a year? She'd already had two days taken from her, Analya didn't have much more time as it was.

“Okay.” she finally said, lifting her head a bit and appreciating that she and Kaidan could fall into a comfortable silence until they reached the lobby where his parents were waiting. His mother was the first to greet her, with a broad smile and a compliment on her jacket. His father offered a simpler greeting, only smiling. She felt like she fit in well with them, and it didn't feel out of place to be joining them for lunch, having only properly met them once, and all of them aware of how close she and Kaidan already seemed to be.

That part was still taking her time to even process. She hadn't expected to fall so fast for him, but what else could she have expected of herself? She went hard and fast with everything in her life, why would this be any different?

**Kaidan**

They'd been sitting at the table for nearly an hour after finishing their meal. Kaidan was sitting across from Analya and when he caught her gaze, he let out a heavy sigh, smiling as he raised his eyebrows, as if to say he hadn't been expecting this either. His parents, of course, had run into some old friends, and had since invited them to sit at their table, and had spent the whole time talking. She grinned and then glanced down beneath the table at her lap. A few seconds later, he realized why.

_ Analya: _ _   
_ _ Do your parents know the whole town, or something? [1:34 PM] _

_ Kaidan: _ __   
_ Rude. [1:34 PM] _ __   
_   
_ __ No, they just happen to have a lot of friends in town right now. [1:34 PM]

_ Analya: _ _   
_ _ Do you think they would notice if we snuck out? [1:35 PM] _

_ Kaidan: _ _   
_ _ They might. Or we could just leave like normal people. [1:35 PM] _

_ Analya: _ _   
_ _ Now who's being rude? [1:35 PM] _

He looked up and saw her smirk. Though she gave him a slight nod, so he cleared his throat a bit before standing and walking over to his mother, leaning down to talk quietly in her ear.

“I think we're going to take a walk around town.”

“Alright. Don't get into trouble.” she smiled, patting the hand that was on her shoulder. He glanced over to Analya, motioning for her to follow him. She immediately stood up, and thank his parents for lunch before they were on their way out. At least that's what he'd have liked.

“Kaidan! I almost forgot you were here.” the other man said. Kaidan forced himself to turn and face this man, as his parents had ingrained in him since he was young. It was the polite thing to do.

“He's always been quiet, you know that.” his mother offered.

“I didn't expect you to be back from that camp, yet.”

“Yeah, I uh… decided to leave early. It just wasn't working out.” he said, rubbing the back of his neck, almost as if to remind himself that he wasn't the monster he'd left there as. His fingers grazed of the amp port and he shivered just a bit. No one else would have noticed it. His parents also shifted a bit, everyone on edge.

“It's still good to see you.” the man nodded, smiling as he glanced around, pointing to Anlaya, “Is that Rahna?”

Everyone grew still, and quiet. Kaidan bit his tongue, literally, taking in a few deep breaths to keep from lashing out. He didn't want to think about Rahna. It still hurt, especially since this man was assuming that Kaidan hadn't changed a bit from years ago, that Rahna had somehow decided to come out here. The thing that bothered Kaidan the most was that he knew this was an irrational reaction, but he couldn't help the anger he felt inside. It was his fault that he was back home, instead of becoming this super-soldier the Alliance had wanted him to be. It was his fault that he'd caused Rahna to turn away from him. But it wasn't his fault that Kaidan had chosen to walk away from a bad situation and try to do better. That had been his choice and he had yet to truly regret doing so.

“I'm Analya.” she said, stepping forward and holding her hand out and offering a smile that Kaidan could tell was forced, but well-practiced. It was the same one he'd seen just the other night when they first met. “Just a friend.” she added quietly as her hand dropped from his.

“Well, it's good to see Kaidan has good company.” the man nodded, awkwardly turning back to Kaidan's parents to resume their conversation.

Kaidan turned sharply on his heels with Analya, both walking out as quickly as they could, though neither knew where to. So they just kept walking in silence.

He was hoping she wouldn't ask. He hoped she would just let it go and they could ignore the awkward conversation that just took place. Kaidan didn't have the heart to explain it to her.

“Who's Rahna?” she asked quietly when they'd slowed their pace down a bit. He shut his eyes tightly, stopping for a moment as his hands pushed further into his pockets.

“If you can give me a little bit of time, I'll tell you.”

“How much time?” she asked, frowning and stepping a bit closer towards him as she stopped beside him.

“Just… a few minutes. Maybe.” he looked up, and saw her face relax again.

“I'll wait.” she said quietly as she nodded to him.

He glanced around, and then gave her a smile as he turned slightly. 

“Come on, let's go to the beach since we're so close.”

It was about fifteen minutes later when they found a dry log to sit on, looking over the rocky beach at the ocean lapping up against it. This was one of the most relaxing places he could think to go, and while some of the snow had already begun to melt, he knew it would pick up again soon, and the beach would be white again.

“When I mentioned I was a biotic, before… The camp I went to wasn't really so much of a camp as it was a compound. We weren't allowed access to the extranet except for special hours on certain days. And even then, it was monitored.” he sighed. “There were a lot of kids there. None of them really wanted to be there, but what choice did we have? Some of the kids lost their minds before they could complete anything.”

“What camp was this? I've only ever heard of the Ascension project.”

“It was way out on Jump Zero. Far enough away for everyone to turn a blind eye, but close enough to keep a tight rein on it.” he huffed, hanging his head. “Anyway… One of the girls there, Rahna… She was the first person I met. She did everything to keep a positive outlook on things, so naturally I stuck around her. It's always nice to have a little pep talk before risking frying your own brain trying to learn how to control this power you didn't ask for.”

“You're joking.” she deadpanned, looking at him like he was wounded. He was, but… He was still recovering, as well. He shook his head.

“Anyway, I used to… talk to my parents about her, when we were allowed to either call or go home. But… I did something I shouldn't have, and because of it, Rahna never wanted to be near me again.” Kaidan wanted to curl up. “And it hurt.” he said quietly as he pressed his chin into his chest, feeling the stinging sensation of tears in his eyes. “She looked at me like… Well, like I was a monster. And I suppose in that moment I was.”

“I'm sorry you feel that way.” Analya's voice came softly as he felt one of her arms latch around his shoulders. “We all have our moments, though. But the best part is that you get to choose what you do after it, and that's what defines you.”

“I don't think you understand the gravity of the situation I was in.”

“No, I probably don't. And you're under no obligation to tell me any of it, either.”

“The short of it is that I killed someone who hurt Rahna. Just because I didn't want to see her hurt.” Kaidan shut his eyes, feeling his shoulders shake as a tear fell out. He didn't even recognize his own voice, it was suddenly so quiet. “And I ended up hurting her worse than that broken arm did.”

He knew he'd said too much. She pulled her arm off, and put some distance between them. Who wanted to be associated with a murderer? Or him at all? He expected her to run off and never want to see him again. He'd go back to being alone in the hotel, no friends, and wishing he could be at home again. And it had only been a couple of days.

He didn't want to lose her, too.

“Kaidan.” she whispered, her voice in front of him. This time he felt both of her arms wrap around him from his front, one hand smoothing down his back and the other up to hold the back of his head as she held him tight against herself. He shook again in her arms and brought his up to wrap around her as well. It felt good, for once, to let all this out. And, it didn't hurt that she was still here, treating him just the same. He was still Kaidan to her. That made him smile.

That was one little piece of himself he felt being glued back together after all this time. The second came back when he finally stood up, both of them holding each other, still. Though her head fit snugly under his chin. Or it would have if she hadn't moved her head to rest on his shoulder.

“Why do you have to be so tall?” she whispered after a moment, both of them breaking into laughter as they pulled away, Kaidan running his hand over his face to get rid of an evidence he'd been crying. It felt good to have that little thing out of the way. He looked at her, and she only smiled back at him.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy N7 day!!! I'm so sorry I haven't updated this in so long and that this chapter is so short. But it's getting to be the holiday season again, so I'm a little more motivated to work on it, again, and I am determined to see this story through. Leave a comment and let me know how you're liking it so far!

** **

**Kaidan**

Before they got back into town from the beach, Kaidan had to pull her aside and show her one of his favorite spots to look out at the beach. There was a small hill he had to practically carry her up, which she didn't seem to mind. Once the two reached the crest of it, he watched her as she took in the sight that was straight from a painting. The wind picked up a bit and she nearly lost her footing, but instead Kaidan caught her, and decided to hold her against himself. She turned her gaze towards him with a gentle smile, and her hands grazed over his before taking hold.

Or at least that's how it went in his mind as they were walking towards the hill. He knew it was stupid to even think it would happen. Though, when they got to the hill, she glanced at him and snorted a bit.

“There is no way I can climb that in these boots.”

“I can probably carry you up there.” he shrugged. She grinned and as he turned around, he felt her hop onto his back, arms and legs securing herself around him. He held her legs in place as he started up the hill. She giggled the whole time he carried her up, still surprised at how light she was. He set her down once they were near the top, and they walked the rest of the way.

Her reaction was just like he thought it would be, though the breeze only carried her perfume through the air. Kaidan felt his stomach knot up – the same way it had when he'd been around Rahna. Though this time it was more exciting, and he couldn't help but smile at himself. He supposed if he was going down this rabbit hole, he might as well enjoy it while he could.

“This is beautiful, Kaidan.” she smiled, pulling up her omni-tool to take a few photos of the landscape. While she was distracted, he figured he could take a few photos too. Though, they would be of her, mostly. Of course he would show them to her later, but for a few hours he could keep a nice little secret.

Once they finally turned to head back down, Kaidan reached out to take Ana's hand to help her down, both laughing as she nearly slipped more than a few times. He was about to let go of her hand until he realized that her hand relaxed just enough that it was comfortable, but not enough to tell him she was letting go. Well, if that's what she wanted, and what he wanted, who was he to deny either of them? She swung her hand a bit while they walked back past the shops, until they found a taxi to take them back to the hotel. She didn't let go the whole time, until her omni-tool lit up.

“Mom's on her way back.” she said quietly once she put it down again, looking up at him.

“Ana, there you are!” a rather familiar voice called out. They both jumped, but she maintained her grin, even running over to embrace David. For a moment, he wondered about their relationship.

“You were looking for me?”

“I have been, yes. Your mother called earlier, asking about you. And I realized I haven't seen you since that first night.” he smiled once he let go of her. That was when Kaidan felt like a deer in the headlights with his hands casually stuffed in his pockets as David looked over at him.

“I've been hanging out with Kaidan.” she shrugged, glancing over to him.

“You're Eric's son, aren't you?” he asked. Kaidan nodded and walked over.

“How'd you guess?” he smiled a bit.

“It's the jaw. How is he?”

“He's been good. I think he's enjoying his last few months before officially retiring.”

“I'll have to make sure I stop by and give him my thanks for his help in my career, then.”

“I can pass the word along.”

“Not like you'll have trouble,” Ana laughed, “He seems to bump into someone he knows every ten minutes.”

“I can't help that he has friends.” Kaidan shrugged. David chuckled quietly.

“Alright, well I'm just glad I ran into you. I assume your mother called you?”

“This morning, yes. She's on her way back now.”

“Good. I'll talk to you later, alright?” he leaned down to hug her, and Kaidan thought he saw him whisper something in her ear, but he couldn't hear anything.

“Alright.” she nodded, stepping aside to let him head outside. She turned to Kaidan, blushing a little, “Sorry, he's… yeah.”

“I understand.” he smiled. “Do you want to head up to my room and maybe watch another movie or two?”

“That sounds awesome.”


End file.
